Angel Island, Sinan Imjado Shiitake Mushrooms Begin Export to the United States

Agricultural Corporation Gammi Co., Ltd. to Export Entire Shipment This Year... Annual Contract Worth 1 Billion KRW

Agricultural Corporation Gammi Co., Ltd. signed a "1 billion KRW annual export agreement" with the Jeonnam Food Export Association last May and is set to begin exporting to the United States. / ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Shiitake mushrooms produced on Imjado Island, Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, are set to be exported to the United States.

Agricultural Corporation Gammi Co., Ltd. signed a "1 billion KRW annual export agreement" with the Jeonnam Food Export Association last May and plans to ship $50,000 worth of products for the first time at the end of November.

The mushrooms exported under the brand name "Angel Island Sinan Imja Shiitake" began cultivation in 2015 on a 74,567㎡ farm in Dochanni, Imja-myeon, and this year marks their first harvest.

More than 70% of Gammi Co., Ltd.'s shiitake mushrooms are Baekhwa mushrooms, which are priced higher than regular shiitake. Starting this year, all Baekhwa mushrooms are exported, trading at more than twice the price of Heukhwa mushrooms.

Gammi Co., Ltd., which also owns a mushroom farm in Jeju Island, plans to focus exclusively on Imjado due to the superior quality of shiitake mushrooms produced there, thanks to the island's pristine natural environment.

CEO Eunseon Kim of Agricultural Corporation Gammi Co., Ltd. is harvesting shiitake mushrooms grown in the pristine natural environment of Angel Island, Sinan. / ⓒ Asia Economy

Since establishing the company in 2014, CEO Kim Eun-seon has obtained certifications such as mushroom spawn technician and seed manager, and has worked to improve the unique aroma and taste of shiitake mushrooms desired by customers by developing high-quality spawn varieties and using traditional cultivation methods with oak logs.

As a result, the company was selected as a new knowledge farmer in agriculture in 2018, received organic certification from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs last year, was awarded a commendation from the Chairman of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and this year received a commendation from the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly.

Gammi Co., Ltd. is developing not only shiitake mushroom slices but also frozen shiitake abalone fried rice and shiitake mushroom rice, responding to the growing popularity of frozen home meal replacements (HMR) in the U.S. market due to COVID-19.

CEO Kim Eun-seon said, "The HMR market is rapidly growing worldwide due to COVID-19," adding, "We plan to expand our export markets to Southeast Asia and Europe based on the U.S. market early next year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.